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Ivan Moody says he is not quitting Five Finger Death Punch

"I am sorry if the media took my statement as a resignation, but I assure you it wasn't," Moody said.

By Karen Butler
Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch performs at Rock on the Range 2010 in Columbus, Ohio, on May 23, 2010. Photo by Adam Bielawski, courtesy of Wikipedia
Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch performs at Rock on the Range 2010 in Columbus, Ohio, on May 23, 2010. Photo by Adam Bielawski, courtesy of Wikipedia

April 23 (UPI) -- Vocalist Ivan Moody says he is not leaving the heavy-metal band Five Finger Death Punch, despite media reports claiming otherwise.

"It's no secret that this has been a tough year for me and for my band-mates in Five Finger Death Punch," he wrote in a lengthy statement Friday.

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"When you put everything you have into making music, both on and off the stage, it can be very frustrating when the music you work so hard to create is not allowed to see the light of day. I know we share this frustration with our fans, too, who have come to expect new music from us -- fans who mean everything to us. It is true that Five Finger Death Punch has come to a crossroads -- and that crossroads is we're all at a place where we will never again let someone or something hold us back from making music for our fans. The lawsuit by Prospect Park holding our new album hostage has taken a toll on me. I was in a rehabilitation facility when Prospect Park decided to sue the band last year, and that was very difficult for me to handle all at once. Yesterday, I made a statement that was taken out of context by the media -- a media always looking to create headlines that will make people click them. The truth is, I want to start a side-project like Corey Taylor has with Stone Sour or Maynard has with A Perfect Circle and I want to do it when Five Finger Death Punch's deal with Prospect Park is over and we are out of this lawsuit. THIS DOES NOT MEAN I PLAN ON LEAVING FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH!"

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He went on to emphasize the group's next album will be released via Prospect Park and the musicians are scheduled to tour together throughout 2017.  

"All of us in the band have worked incredibly hard over the last 10 years to build this band and none of us are going to let that go just because our record company is trying to sabotage us. I am sorry if the media took my statement as a resignation, but I assure you it wasn't," Moody added.

Metalinjection.net initially quoted Moody as saying in an interview with Denver's 106.7 KBPI last week: "Death Punch and I have kind of come to a crossroads. We're very proud of what we've done -- years and years and years of work... It's time for us to take our way and go do something else, so after this year... my new band, Villain... I'm so excited."

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